Gladstone, Oregon
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| Gladstone, Oregon | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| County | Clackamas County |
| Incorporated | 1911 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Wade Byers |
| Area | |
| - City | 6.5 km² (2.5 sq mi) |
| - Land | 6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0.1 km² (0.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 17.37 m (57 ft) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 11,438 |
| - Density | 1,780.7/km² (4,619/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| Website: http://www.ci.gladstone.or.us | |
Gladstone is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States.
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[edit] History
There were several Indian groups living in the area that was to become Gladstone. Lewis and Clark did not visit the Gladstone-Oregon City region, but did have it described to them by the native people. Later explorers and traders brought diseases and epidemics that took a very heavy toll on the native population and the tribes dwindled to near extinction.
When Oregon City was founded and people began moving to the area, they petitioned their governments to remove the local aboriginals from the land, so that European settlers could have land to farm and live on. The government responded by rounding up the Indians and forcing them to leave their lands for a reservation. With the natives removed from the scene, the Gladstone area was ripe for settling. Today the only visible remains of the native presence is a large tree called "The Pow Wow Tree." An Indian burial ground near that area is now covered over by a street and a number of houses.
[edit] Early homesteaders
The earliest homesteads in the area were donation land claims granted by President Lincoln. The Casons and the Rinearsons were the first settlers to receive their donation land claims in Gladstone. Peter M. Rinearson and his family owned the land between Jennings Lodge and the Clackamas River, and between the Willamette River and Portland Avenue. Fendal Cason, who came to Oregon in 1843, owned an area equal in size east of Portland Avenue.
The famous “Pow-Wow” maple tree marked the place where the different Indian tribes, mainly Clackamas and Multnomahs, met to make trading agreements, settle community affairs, and conduct wedding ceremonies. The tree still stands on Clackamas Boulevard. Adjacent to the “Pow-Wow” tree was an Indian racetrack that Peter Rinearson later used as an exercise and training ground for the racehorses he bred. In 1861, it was used as a parade ring for the First State Fair held on the Rinearson property, with the “Pow-Wow” tree marking the entrance.
[edit] Failed starts
Several small towns were established in this period, but only a few remained to become the cities of today. Floods and fires were the primary villains, and one can imagine the heartache these disasters must have evoked.
Linn City was settled in the 1840s by Robert Moore who built four flour and lumber mills along the bank of the Willamette. Warehouses, homes, and mills were added until 1857 when a fire destroyed several of the buildings. Efforts at rebuilding the small town ceased when a flood came later that year and wiped out the rest of the buildings.
[edit] Founding of the city
Gladstone was founded by a man named Harvey Cross in the late 1800s, and formally incorporated on January 10, 1911. He laid out the city's first streets and had his home built in a prominent location. The home is now a mortuary.
(Correction: Harvey Cross purchased the Cason land that included the Cason Family Home (intersection of 82nd Avenue and East Arlington in Gladstone. The Cross family occupied the Cason home. The Cason/Cross house still stands. It is now a mortuary.)
There is also a small park named after him, located at the same place one of the Indian tribes made its camp.
Cross chose the name "Gladstone" because he admired Prime Minister William E. Gladstone of England.
[edit] The first church
The Gladstone Church of Christ was established and organized in 1908 by Aaron Hayes Mulkey, with 55 members. Initially, it was of rough lumber construction with no floor or windows, with backless benches. The following year saw the erection of a new church on land donated by Judge Harvey Cross.
[edit] Geography
Being bordered by rivers on two sides, there are only two primary thoroughfares to and from the city. The I-205 freeway runs along the eastern edge of the city running south into historic Oregon City. McLoughlin Boulevard also runs north-south, but through the western side of the city.
Inside the city, the main streets are Portland Avenue, which runs from the high school, through the middle of Old Gladstone, to the river; Webster, which runs along the eastern edge of Old Gladstone from the freeway and the river north into the hills; and Oatfield Road, which winds its way through the hills and drops down into Milwaukie.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.5 km² (2.5 mi²). 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.98%) is water.
The city can be divided into four categories. The old section is laid out on a grid of streets bordered by the Clackamas on the south, McLoughlin Boulevard on the west, Webster on the east, and the foothills to the north. The river section of city is the strip of land between McLoughlin and the Willamette River. On the east side of city is a large park owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The fourth section of city is the remaining hilly area north of the old section.
[edit] Old Gladstone
The old section of Gladstone is laid out on a grid of streets running north/south and east/west. North-south streets are named for colleges, while east-west streets are arranged in alphabetical order and have the same names as the north-south streets in Boston's Back Bay: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford. The alphabetical progression continues with Ipswich, Jersey and Kenmore, continuing the allusion to Boston's street names from its Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood (adjacent to Back Bay): Ipswich, Jersey and Kenmore Streets (see Kenmore Square). The origin of this connection is unknown. It is possible that Asa Lovejoy had some influence in naming these streets, after the decision to name Portland after Portland, Maine, instead of Boston, Massachusetts.[citation needed] Somewhat humorously, though without a shred of irony, Gladstonians mispronounce Gloucester as 'glau-"ches-t&r instead of the accepted 'gläs-t&r.
[edit] The hills
On the north side of city are rocky hills that were virtually uninhabitable until late in the 20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s the area came under development and was laid out with streets and houses. One street running around the base of the easternmost hill is known throughout the state for its beautiful Christmas lights display every year. Several churches, the city's middle school, a few convenience stores, and a couple of care centers are the only exceptions to the area's all-residential nature.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 11,438 people, 4,246 households, and 3,014 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,780.7/km² (4,619.0/mi²). There were 4,419 housing units at an average density of 688.0/km² (1,784.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.42% White, 0.72% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 2.11% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 3.04% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. 6.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,246 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,368, and the median income for a family was $52,500. Males had a median income of $38,619 versus $28,300 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,388. About 6.6% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] External links
- City of Gladstone
- Oregon Blue Book entry for Gladstone
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
